IOF raid Daraa, Mount Hermon; several civilians arrested
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Israeli occupation forces carried out multiple incursions across southern Syria, detaining civilians and establishing new military positions near strategic border areas.
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Israeli soldiers stand on armored vehicles in the occupied Golan Heights from Syria, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP)
Israeli forces have launched a series of deep incursions into southern Syria, in what rights monitors describe as a blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty and international law.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, six Israeli military vehicles stormed the town of Abdin in western Daraa at dawn Thursday, raiding homes for nearly an hour before detaining three young men and retreating toward the occupied Golan Heights.
A day earlier, Israeli units seized weapons and arrested civilians during an operation near Mount Hermon, accusing them of cross-border arms smuggling between Syria and Lebanon. The raid was accompanied by the establishment of a new military post near the Barqash junction and field inspections carried out by agents in civilian clothing escorted by armored vehicles.
عدسة #المرصد_السوري: توغل #إسرائيلي برفقة آليات عند مدخل #قرية_برقش الواقعة في الجانب السوري المحتل من مرتفعات #جبل_الشيخ https://t.co/c8qBz17WnI pic.twitter.com/c06D0OiKdh
— المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) August 21, 2025
The Observatory also reported earlier incursions in Quneitra, involving gunfire, the targeting of motorbikes, and home searches, signaling a widening campaign to assert military control and destabilize border communities. Analysts say the repeated operations underscore "Israel's" escalating disregard for Syrian territorial integrity and risk dragging the region toward broader confrontation.
Syria-'Israel' talks mark 'new phase' in region: Haaretz
Earlier today, Israeli newspaper Haaretz described the talks between Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani as a "decisive test" for the course of relations between Damascus and Tel Aviv, noting that the recent meeting received unprecedented official coverage from the Syrian official news agency, SANA.
The newspaper also reported on the intense diplomatic activity in recent days concerning the situation in southern Syria, the latest of which was the meeting in Paris between Dermer and al-Shibani, which it described as a "decisive test" for the trajectory of relations between Damascus and Tel Aviv.
The report also indicated that the meeting between Dermer and al-Shibani was attended by US envoy Tom Barrack, who subsequently held a separate meeting with the spiritual leader of the Druze community in occupied Palestine, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, as part of broader US efforts to establish new security arrangements in southern Syria.
The newspaper further reported that a meeting between Dermer and al-Shibani had already taken place last month, brokered by Barrack to discuss security arrangements and Israeli military activities in Syria. Meanwhile, the most recent meeting two days ago received unprecedented official coverage in the form of a statement from the official Syrian news agency, SANA.
Haaretz reported that the SANA statement outlined how the discussions had addressed key issues, most notably "de-escalation, non-interference in Syria's internal affairs, the renewal of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, and the supervision of the ceasefire in the Sweida region."
The Israeli newspaper added that the statement clarified that these meetings were part of "diplomatic efforts to enhance security and stability in Syria and to preserve its unity and territorial integrity."
